Personality and family history of depression in patients with affective illness.

The presence of a family history of depression may distinguish clinically important subgroups of depressed patients. Depressed patients with and without a family history of depression may differ on several clinical features. There are limited data, however, on potential differences in personality variables between patients with and without familial depression. We examined personality measures in 41 depressed subjects with and without a familial history of depression in both the depressed and remitted state. Patients with no family history of depression had significantly higher mean personality trait scores on the dependent and compulsive personality scales. The clinical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.